SUDBURY -- When Scott Wheeler popped into Overtime Sports Bar and Grill, it was a miracle he could even walk through the door, let alone enjoy lunch.

Last year, the St. George man was flat on his back for weeks at Sudbury's Health Sciences North, hooked up to IV tubes and clinging to life, after falling from a 30-foot cliff on the westernmost tip of Manitoulin Island.

"My vertebrae exploded, but luckily each half went in the opposite direction of my spinal cord," said Wheeler.

He required surgery to have a steel rod and artificial joint inserted in his back but that was the least of his medical challenges.

Wheeler also experienced internal bleeding and a ruptured intestine, and was put in an induced coma for 2 1/2 weeks. Meanwhile, an sepsis infection caused his kidneys to shut down. "And I was on dialysis for about a month," he said.

In all, Wheeler would spend 72 days in hospital, the first 45 of those in Sudbury.

"There's a lot of medical experts out there who are baffled," he said. "It's hard for them to shed light on how I am even alive."

During his period of treatment in Sudbury, Wheeler and his parents, Sandy and Greg, gained a friend in Overtime owner Atillio Langella, who read about the 28-year-old's struggles in a newspaper story.

Langella said the family's ordeal struck a chord.

"I have kids that age, two boys, and could imagine getting that phone call, and the parents being so far away," he said. "I think that's what touched me the most."

The Overtime proprietor reached out to the Wheelers through The Expositor, which ran the initial story. He said he would be happy to provide meals and a sympathetic ear during their repeat visits to Sudbury to be at the side of their son.

A strong connection developed between Langella and the Wheelers, who recently brought to the barkeep a framed photo of Doug Gilmour -- a favourite hockey player of Langella's -- as a gesture of appreciation. The picture, personally addressed to Langella by the Leafs legend, now hangs on the wall of Overtime, which fittingly was called Gilmour's at one time.

Wheeler made a special trip to Sudbury while visiting his grandfather on Manitoulin Island.

"Since it was my first time back up this way since the accident, I thought I would like to reach out to him and thank him for what he did."

Wheeler also spent time at Health Sciences North, thanking staff for the "tremendous care" they provided.

"They went above and beyond," he said. "I am a huge advocate for that hospital."

Wheeler said he's now "over 90 per cent" of the way back to full health. "I definitely feel a million times better, and I'm super grateful."

A gas-fitter by training, Wheeler said he had a job lined up for last September. Meantime, he was spending last summer in Sheguiandah, where his grandparents operate Green Acres campground.

"I thought I would go and help them out on Manitoulin, which is like a second home to me," he said. "Me and my cousin both worked there for the summer."

On July 26, a day off, the two decided to visit the Mississagi Lighthouse, on the rocky coast west of Meldrum Bay.

The two were exploring the rugged shore when the mishap occurred.

"It was a split-second thing," said Wheeler. "I was three feet from the edge of the cliff face, and as I was stepping up onto a rock the size of a standard step, my knee just gave out, buckled."

He said he had some knee issues in the past but didn't see this coming at all.

"It was wrong place, wrong time," he said. "I just happened to be right beside a cliff, and had no time to think."

He landed on his back in the water. He's not sure if he struck a submerged rock.

"At first I was fearful I'd broken my legs," he said. "And I'm a bigger dude, so I knew nobody could pull me in."

He said the water was about 12 feet deep, but full of rocks and shoals. His cousin, Logan Kearns, jumped into the water, too -- landing feet first -- to come to his aid, but Wheeler summoned the strength to swim on his own and step out onto shore.

Then he collapsed.

"I don't even remember having much pain in my back while I was in the water," he said. "But once the adrenalin wore off, my whole back was in pain."

He didn't pass out, though.

"I can recall pretty much every moment from lifting my head out of the water until I got to the hospital," he said.

While waiting for a helicopter to arrive and airlift him to Sudbury, Wheeler said one of his main concerns was the pilot might not be able to land and he would be reeled up to the hovering craft.

"I'm afraid of heights, and had this vision of hanging underneath and being pulled up on a stretcher," he said with a chuckle.

That he can laugh about the experience now says something, as does the fact that he was able to return to Manitoulin.

"I love it there, and will always go back," he said.

Langella said it was a pleasure to meet Wheeler.

"I can't believe how far he's come," he said. "He's been through a lot. But he's a brave kid and a fine young man, who's got a lot of life left to live. He comes from a great family and I wish him nothing but the best in the future."